"New York, Interrupted"

Last Tuesday, during the week in-between Christmas and New Years, the New York Times wrote an article about the state of the city during the holidays.  It was titled, "New York, Interrupted: In Between Holidays, Nothing Happens But Magic."

I loved this article because it so accurately portrays the city at its calmed and, ironically, most tourist overwhelmed. Write Mandy Fernandez writes:

"This is a week of suspended animation in the city, in between holidays, when the great systems of New York — the schools, the courts, the communications media, Wall Street, City Hall, the bodegas in Queens — slow to an administrative crawl or shut down altogether, when New York City belongs not to New Yorkers, but to Spaniards, Italians, Canadians, Germans, Californians. Tens of thousands of people have left town to go back home, while tens of thousands of others have left home to come to town."

She goes on to quote tourists about why they love New York City. "It's the energy," said one guy who hails from Rome. For a man from Rome to comment on New York's energy gives it a bit more weight than someone from Townville USA. This Italian put his finger on what I love about living here. The energy is palpable current running through the streets, through the subways, in the restaurants and bars, and in the people. Whether you are a native New Yorker, a new resident, or a passing tourist, you get caught in the flow.

I came back to NYC a few days after Christmas and was one of the few people working in 30 Rock last week.  The city still managed to keep its movement alive despite the mass exodus of many of its natives.  It wasn't so back-breakingly kinetic, though, but rather more of a calm, powerful stream.  It was a pleasant adjustment.

Today when I went back to work I could feel the city's surge.  I was curled up in a blanket watching movies and reading for the whole day Sunday in my lovely Park Slope apartment, so this jolt was particularly apparent.  It's like the city chugged a dozen Red Bulls as the sun was rising.  Needless to say, I had more coffee than usual just to keep up!